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Being Women on Mission: An Interview with Given Institute Executive Director Rachel Harkins Ullmann
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April 7, 2021Meet Rachel Harkins Ullmann. Wife, mother of three young children, and the Executive Director of the GIVEN Institute. (Fun fact, she plays the harp too!) Rachel joined us to talk about the mission and vision of GIVEN as well as the upcoming MN GIVEN Gathering taking place in the Twin Cities on Saturday, April 24th. As a 2016 GIVEN Forum alumna, I am so excited to share with you how GIVEN has grown over the last five years.
Susanna Parent: Before we dive into the GIVEN Gathering, I have to share the fun fact that you are a harpist! I dreamed of playing the harp as a child. When did you start playing?Rachel Harkins Ullmann: I started playing when I was eight years old. It’s a real gift because it is something I can always pick up and is so beautiful and soothing! I had a small business for a little while in my early twenties when I played for weddings and special events and traveled all over the state of Maryland, but it is very hard to travel with a harp. I never flew with it, but I did own the hard case needed to travel with.SP: That’s good, then you have the freedom to travel with it in the future if duty ever calls! All right, let’s dive right in to GIVEN. Can you give us some background on how the GIVEN Institute came to be?RHU: During the universal year of consecrated life back in 2015 the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious (CMSWR) were given a large grant and were told to use the money at their discretion, but to use it for new programming. The Given institute was born out of the hearts of these women religious. As a result of the generosity given to them, they kicked off the inaugural GIVEN Forum in 2016.It started as a five day conference in the summer which included leadership training, faith formation, and mentoring events. It brought together young adult women from across the country in an intentional community with a specific purpose of not just receiving but then to go back out and give.All of the women who came to the Forum had to create an action plan which was their unique proposal. A plan which was born from their vision, giftings, and desire to serve the church as God created them to do. At the Forum, women are surrounded by awesome female and Catholic leaders, and in addition, they are accompanied for an entire year by an established mentor who is there for them to help develop their plan and support them in launching it.SP: As an alumna, I have to say, my mentor was key in helping me to carry out my Action Plan in a timely way! Our quarterly phone call kept me accountable and energized me to keep moving.GIVEN has been so blessed with amazing growth beyond just the Forum. What other opportunities can women find through GIVEN?RHU: Yes, the GIVEN Forum was the beginning of our roots. Now, beautiful fruit has come from it and amazing women leaders across the country are doing great things for the Lord! We now have three major programs:The GIVEN Network is the opportunity for women of any age and stage of life to engage in our mission and our vision. You can do that through attending a local GIVEN Gathering which is what we are hosting in partnership with CEND in Minnesota on April 24, but there are also ways online to engage in our programming through our social media platforms, and an online event called Discover the Gift. There are also other ways for women to dive deeper into practical skills training through our new series called GIVEN Academy. Needless to say there are so many ways that women can activate their gifts for the Church.Then we have our mentoring program. What is unique at GIVEN is that we are not just giving you support and sending you off after a mountain top experience at the Forum, but we are really accompanying you in an accountable relationship with your mentor. Women long to receive mentorship through spiritual, professional, and personal advice. With this mentorship there is also an element of “if I am not pulling my weight here, this woman leader is going to hold me accountable." The mentorship program provides the support to follow through on our dreams and aspirations, and is also available to those who cannot participate in the Forum.
SP: This is all amazing! And right here in the Twin Cities we have the honor of hosting a GIVEN Gathering on April 24! Is this like a mini version of the summer Forum?RHU: The mission is the same. To activate women’s gifts. The GIVEN Gatherings are all built around the three themes of GIVEN:- Receive the gift that you are
- Realize the gifts you’ve been given
- Respond with the gift that only you can give
I am really excited about this event! We have Leah Jacobson as one of our keynote speakers. Leah is an entrepreneur and Founder of the Guiding Star Project which she started in her twenties. Now she is a mother of seven, and the project is a flourishing health care clinic in cities all across the nation.
Leah Jacobson
We also have Mother Mary Mother of Faith or “Mother Faith” from the Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matara (Servidoras). She will be giving our keynote on “Receive the gift that you are” and sharing with us about our unique dignity as women. Then Lauren Garcia, the Communications and Outreach Specialist for the Nebraska Catholic Conference will be giving the “Respond With The Gift Only You Can Give” talk.At the very end of the day after keynote talks and small group discussion with your own local community, we will capstone the day with an action plan workshop. Here we will walk the women through an exercise through realizing their unique, unrepeatable gifts and talk about implementing them in a way that serves others. Sometimes our dreams are so big, that we don’t realize them into fruition. We don’t have that actual tangible next step or a realistic timeline for success. So what we will do is take their big dreams and find an actionable next step in their life and walk with the Lord.SP: Who is the GIVEN Gathering for?RHU: GIVEN Gatherings are an opportunity for any woman in any stage of life, age eighteen and up. Whether you are an alumnae, mentor, religious sister, no matter your state in life, this Gathering is a place for you to be in your own hometown and meet other young women in your community who are seeking to do the same thing. We hope that these GIVEN Gatherings will grow a network of female leaders across the country so that you can identify and find one another. No matter what stage of life you are in, you can be a woman of mission.SP: What is one of your favorite GIVEN stories, whether it be from the Forum, a Gathering, or something just in your day-to-day work?RHU: GIVEN has personally impacted me so much. I have worked in the Church my whole career and have had a lot of different jobs in parishes and schools, archdiocesan offices, etc. But when I became a mother there was a difficulty in maintaining the same job responsibilities than when I was single. Different comments were made and conversations had, as well as management issues in regard to how I was treated when I became a mother.I wasn’t looking for a job when GIVEN came across my doorstep, but when I accepted the job, the religious sister who was the board chair said to me, “Rachel, we hired you because you are a mother." I had never felt more secure in my motherhood in the workplace than before that moment, and I have worked for the Catholic church my whole life. It was a moment of great peace washing over me, a moment of embracing who God made me to be, and that my gifts and talents in the workplace are not at odds with my maternity, but are in sync, and can be used to their fullest potential. It is a blessing and a gift, and it makes me a better employee and better professional. For her to say those words, and how the board of directors have guided me and embraced me has been the most beautiful experience of my professional life.- - -What state of life are you in? Whether single, dating, married, or religious, if you are desiring to better recognize and use your gifts to their fullest potential, register for the April 24 GIVEN Gathering. I was profoundly impacted through my own experience at the GIVEN Forum and I know there are many blessings in store for each woman who opens up her heart to receive, realize, and respond! Be sure to register by Friday, April 16th!
Susanna Parent is a freelance writer who begins her mornings brewing French press coffee in the home she shares with her husband and daughter in the Twin Cities. When the sun sets, you’ll find her with friends enjoying a glass of red wine, preferably outside underneath twinkly lights or brainstorming their family’s next new adventure. Her published work can be found at fiatandalily.blogpost.com
